Fashion photographer Jerris Madison thought
his titanium rod leg spelled the end of his glamor days when doctors
amputated
his leg four years ago in a battle with bone cancer.

But in 2016 designers Alleles, a small Canadian company, spotted a
photo of
him wearing his prosthetic on Instagram and sent him their latest product
for
him to try out: one of their dazzling, colorful array of prosthetic covers.
"When I opened the box, I felt like it was Christmas," 45-year-old, Los
Angeles-based Madison told AFP. "Having that leg cover really boosted my
self-esteem," he said.
Walking around in just a bare titanium rod used to make him feel
self-conscious. "People would stare and know I was an amputee. Now, they
look
at me as a walking piece of art."

Madison isn't the only person with a disability who has seen their
daily
life improve thanks to a growing market of products designed to make things
easier, but also look chic and stylish at the same time.
From now until September an exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt design museum
in New York is showcasing some of these new products, from the low- to the
high-tech.
"In the last few years there has been a proliferation of new design, very
functional and esthetically desirable products for people with all sort of
disabilities," says Cara McCarty, curator of the exhibition.

Besides the tattooed-style covers made by Alleles, which start at
$375, the
exhibition shows Nike "FlyEase" sneakers, first made for a student with
cerebral palsy, with a wraparound zipper and adjustable strap to make
getting
them on and off easier.
There is also a walking stick, made in the color of your choice, which
can
be propped up easily against a wall without falling over, on sale for around
$100.

For everyone

A hearing aid looks like a giant earring. A bracelet connected to a
smart-phone GPS app which guides the blind and tracks obstacles above the
knee.
Another item is a jacket, included in a new clothing line for disabled
children carried by Target, that comes apart at both sides making for easy
wear.
The key to success for lots of these products, says Caroline Baumann,
director of the museum, is that they are so practical.
When Target designers conceived of the jacket "they were thinking about
the
child on the autism spectrum that might have difficulty putting on their
jacket, but what they are finding is that people of all abilities are buying
that jacket," she told AFP.
"I would love that jacket for my three-year-old because its a fight every
morning to put him in his parka," Baumann laughed.

Keith Kirkland, a former designer at Calvin Klein who co-conceived the
vibrating GPS "Wayband" bracelet, agrees.
If the bracelet was tested on the blind, the idea in launching it for
sale
later this year, is that "anyone" can pick it up "to figure out which way to
go."
More cross-board appeal also means products can be more affordable.
"A lot of times the reason the product is so expensive is because you
have
to amortize that cost over a much smaller market," Kirkland said.

Breaking down stigma

Designers are also eying an aging population, which bring their own
disabilities, as another source for market expansion.
"One out of three people from the age of 62 has some kind of visual
impairment and that aging population is supposed to double by 2060," says
Kirkland.
Matt Kroeker, whose small Canadian firm Top & Derby created the
non-falling
walking stick, says the idea is to create products that aren't simply
practical but which people enjoy using.
"It's just like glasses who were utilitarian until the late '40s and
became
more fashionable after that," said the entrepreneur, who has also designed a
range of compression socks in more exciting colors than the usual black and
brown.

But if these products are sexy, few are widely available in retail
outlets.
Most are sold solely online.
"The biggest barrier right now is people want to buy these products but
the
companies responsible for distributing or selling to the end user are very
apprehensive," Kroeker explained.
"There is a mentality that people don't really care about well-designed,
thoughtfully-designed home healthcare products and we are trying to change
that," he said.

Madison also hopes to help change attitudes by giving his prosthetic
leg
cover its own Instagram account.
"It is about breaking down that stigma, so you are no longer hiding a
hearing aid or hiding a prosthetic leg. You are saying 'I am more able with
this tool that has been designed so well, and I am not embarrassed about
it',"
says Baumann. (AFP)